Police officers in Mombasa on Friday December 11 raided a warehouse in Mombasa, where they arrested two men who were found repackaging fertilizer into different bags.
During the morning raid at the Changamwe go-down, officers found the duo transferring the content from 3,000 bags with expiry dates of 2020 to those branded with expiry dates in 2024.
Further, the culprits were transferring the contents from bags branded Turbo, into those with the MEA Limited brand, although it was not immediately clear the reason for this brand change.
MEA’s 50Kg bag of DAP fertiliser retails at KSh3,000 while that of Turbo retails at between KSh2,800 and KS3,000.
Authorities
Changamwe OCPD Joseph Muthee said the culprits’ motive was to increase the shelf-life of their product by luring wholesale buyers into believing that it was good for use in eight years.
“The original expiry date was set for 2020, but it was being repackaged into bags indicating that it was fit for use until 2024,” said Muthee.